What are you going to be famous for?

There’s a great quote from Jeremy Bullmore about fame: ‘the image of a brand is no more nor less than the result of its fame’. I’d forgotten about it until very recently, then Bob Hoffman wrote that brutal but brilliant article on how the only three words a brief really need contain are ‘make us famous’, and it got me thinking about it again.

 If you haven’t read the article by Bob Hoffman (the Ad Contrarian) then you really should. 

Are we adding to the layers of unnecessary meaning and complexity used to justify ‘brand building’?

It’s a sobering read for anyone that works in the world of marketing. And, without meaning to be too dramatic, it got me questioning what I do for a living! Is it all just a load of nonsense? Are we adding to the layers of unnecessary meaning and complexity used to justify ‘brand building’? Have we all just become a bit beguiled by some notion of ‘brand meaning’, when really all that matters to a consumer is that they are buying a brand they’ve heard of?

I studied Philosophy at University and I loved reading Wittgenstein. He was great at cutting through the crap too. He was very wary of the dangers and deception of adding ‘meaning’ that wasn’t there. He said ‘philosophy is a battle against the bewitchment of our intelligence by means of language.’ Basically, we need to be careful not to get so sucked in that we start to believe our own bullshit. But I think, more than that, we need to not create the bullshit in the first place.

So, I agree with Bob, the primary role of advertising is to make a brand famous. But then I remembered the rest of Jeremy’s quote: ‘the image of a brand is no more nor less than the result of its fame: its reputation. And like a reputation, it can be found in only one place: the minds of consumers.’ And I began to feel that my life had worth again. Because you’ve got to be famous for something. 

When you create advertising it has to be about something.

Fame based on nothing (although better than no fame at all) is fleeting and will fade quickly. But reputation sticks in the mind. Yes, you have to spend to keep it there, but a brand will lodge harder and stick for longer when it has a ‘reputation’. Even Bob concedes ‘when you create advertising it has to be about something. So you might as well make it about something useful like positioning and differentiation.’ And I think these are the things, if done well, if true and not adding complexity and layers (i.e. bullshit) can form the basis of reputation. Of course, not every brand has the means to achieve fame, but starting out by trying to answer the question ‘what is it you want to be famous for?’ is powerfully instructive for brands. 

We’ve recently launched a brand agency and although I’m not sure whether Bob Hoffman would ever endorse us or not, I hope that what we do does, in some way, ring true with what he says. We’re not complicators, we’ve never subscribed to marketing jargon and we’re as down-to-earth as they come – founded by two working class Essex boys who understand what it’s like to be everyday punters. The reason we focus on brand positioning is because we want to ensure the brands we work with are based on solid principles and stand for something rather than nothing – so that others can go off and make advertising about something that makes a brand famous. If what we do provides the basis of the reputation that forms in the minds of consumers, then I’m well happy with that (as we’d say in Essex).

So, if you would like to find out more about L-E-A-P and the work we do that will help your brand become famous for something, then say hello@l-e-a-p.com or visit www.l-e-a-p.com.